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Shining Lights in a Dark World

Watering the Tulips

May 11, 2016

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” –Matthew 5:14-16

Everything you do is under the world’s microscope. Like it or not, this is true. Never has every move a person made been more viewable as today. From mobile phone cameras to social media, nobody is truly hidden from the world’s site anymore. There is no closet to retreat into. Certainly “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3). However, there’s just about a camera and outlet to post on social media in every place today as well. We must always keep in mind that God is Judge and we must give an account to him. We must also keep in mind that we are to show good works before the world – works that honor and glorify our Father in Heaven.

The world has defined the “seven deadly sins” as lust, gluttony, greed, laziness, wrath, envy and pride”. Certainly those are sins and we often fall into their trap. Yet, God has a list of seven abominations that differs some from this list. “There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers” (Proverbs 6:16-19). Though we all have our “pet peeve sins”, this is a list of sins that God inspired to declare that He hates. We’d do well to memorize this list and steer away from these tendencies. The world is watching to see how we act.

We must wonder how well we are truly doing at letting our light shine before the world. In this day when every thought seems to make it’s way into a Tweet or Facebook post, I’m not sure we consider how we must look to the lost world amidst all of the drama that this world supplies us daily. Do we stand out as different? Or, do we seem to have the same worldly tendencies as everybody else? Do we stand out as repentant? Or, do we continue daily to spew venom on social media only to bow our heads in prayer at church on Sunday morning? Do we let our light shine before men? Or, do we continually add fuel to the fire in what we say and do? These are legitimate questions that need to be asked.

When a believer supports a cause, the world views Christianity through the actions of that believer. Like it or not, you may be the only contact your friends and family have with the cause of Christ. How are you doing? Is your normal speech just like theirs? Or better yet, is it any different from when the Lord saved you? Is your support of those causes and leaders showing your faith in God? Or are your causes and candidates just worldly and wicked like the world’s causes and candidates?

Child of God, you are to be a light in this world. While the world is dark, you are to shine. If we are wrapped up in same fights as the world, the likelihood is that we are not shining as we should. May God lead us all to shine forth for Him in this dark day of the world’s history.

Watering the Tulips is brought to you by Sovereign Grace Baptist Church in Northport, AL. For more information, please visit www.sovereigngrace.net . “Your App to the Gospel” can be downloaded at iTunes for iPhone, iPad and IPod Touch, Google Play for Android, the Windows Phone Marketplace, and the Windows Store for Windows 8/8.1 based tablets and computers. Please download it today!